Wireless communication of information from access control device to mobile communications device

ABSTRACT

Wireless communication of information from an access control device to a mobile communications device is disclosed. The mobile communications device is capable of communicating with at least two transmitters. The at least two transmitters include i) a first transmitter located at a first access controlled door that transmits first BLE beacons; and a ii) second transmitter located at a second access controlled door that transmits second BLE beacons. The mobile communications device includes a Bluetooth communication module that is configured to receive a plurality of BLE beacons, including the first BLE beacons and the second BLE beacons, from the at least two transmitters at different locations on a same floor within a premises. The mobile communications device also includes a microprocessor that is configured to execute instructions to determine a location of the mobile communications device based at least in part on signal properties of the first and second BLE beacons, beacon-identifying information contained in the first and second BLE beacons, and known locations of the first and second access controlled doors. The mobile communications device also includes a display that is configured to output text or graphics to inform a device user of the location of the mobile communications device relative to at least the first and second access controlled doors.

FIELD

The present subject-matter relates to access control devices and systemsand, in particular, to wireless communication of information from anaccess control device to a mobile communications device.

BACKGROUND

An electronic access control system grants access based on thecredential presented. When access is granted, the door is unlocked for apredetermined time and the transaction is recorded. When access isrefused, the door remains locked and the attempted access is recorded.The access control system will also monitor the door and alarm if thedoor is forced open or held open too long after being unlocked.

Electronic locking/unlocking mechanisms on access controlled doors havetraditionally been able to communicate with (and also receive powerfrom) other parts of the electronic access control system (e.g. controlpanel) via wires. With the advancement of wireless communications, moreand more electronic locking/unlocking mechanisms are now capable ofcommunicating wirelessly with other parts of the electronic accesscontrol system.

SUMMARY

According to one example embodiment, there is provided an access controlsystem. The access control system includes a first electronic lockmechanism containing a first transmitter for transmitting first BLEbeacons. The first electronic lock mechanism is configured to beinstalled on a first access controlled door within a premises. Theaccess control system also includes a second electronic lock mechanismcontaining a second transmitter for transmitting second BLE beacons. Thesecond electronic lock mechanism is configured to be installed apartfrom the first electronic lock mechanism on a second access controlleddoor within the premises. The access control system also includes amobile communications device. The mobile communications device includesa Bluetooth™ communication module that is configured to receive thefirst and second BLE beacons. The mobile communications device alsoincludes a microprocessor that is configured to execute instructions todetermine a location of the mobile communications device based at leastin part on signal properties of the first and second BLE beacons,beacon-identifying information contained in the first and second BLEbeacons, and known locations of the first and second access controlleddoors. The mobile communications device also includes a display that isconfigured to output text or graphics to inform a device user of thelocation of the mobile communications device relative to at least thefirst and second access controlled doors.

According to another example embodiment, there is provided a methodcarried out on a mobile communications device. The method includesreceiving a plurality of BLE beacons, including first BLE beacons andsecond BLE beacons, from at least two transmitters at differentlocations on a same floor within a premises. The at least twotransmitters include i) a first transmitter located at a first accesscontrolled door that transmits the first BLE beacons; and ii) a secondtransmitter located at a second access controlled door that transmitsthe second BLE beacons. The method also includes determining a locationof the mobile communications device based at least in part on signalproperties of the first and second BLE beacons, beacon-identifyinginformation contained in the first and second BLE beacons, and knownlocations of the first and second access controlled doors. The methodalso includes outputting, onto a display of the mobile communicationsdevice, text or graphics that informs a device user of the location ofthe mobile communications device relative to at least the first andsecond access controlled doors.

According to another example embodiment, there is provided a mobilecommunications device. The mobile communications device is capable ofcommunicating with at least two transmitters. The at least twotransmitters include i) a first transmitter located at a first accesscontrolled door that transmits first BLE beacons; and a ii) secondtransmitter located at a second access controlled door that transmitssecond BLE beacons. The mobile communications device includes aBluetooth™ communication module that is configured to receive aplurality of BLE beacons, including the first BLE beacons and the secondBLE beacons, from the at least two transmitters at different locationson a same floor within a premises. The mobile communications device alsoincludes a microprocessor that is configured to execute instructions todetermine a location of the mobile communications device based at leastin part on signal properties of the first and second BLE beacons,beacon-identifying information contained in the first and second BLEbeacons, and known locations of the first and second access controlleddoors. The mobile communications device also includes a display that isconfigured to output text or graphics to inform a device user of thelocation of the mobile communications device relative to at least thefirst and second access controlled doors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanyingdrawings:

FIG. 1 shows a pictorial diagram of a premises within which an accesscontrol system is installed in accordance with some example embodiments;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a mobile communications device inaccordance with some example embodiments;

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an access control system in accordancewith some example embodiments, the illustrated access control systemincluding the mobile communications device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example user interface page for an access controlapplication run on the mobile communications device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 illustrates another example user interface page for the accesscontrol application run on the mobile communications device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method carried out on a mobilecommunications device in accordance with some example embodiments; and

FIG. 7 illustrates another example user interface page for the accesscontrol application run on the mobile communications device of FIG. 2.

Similar or the same reference numerals may have been used in differentfigures to denote similar example features illustrated in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

It will be understood that when an element is herein referred to asbeing “connected”, “in communication with” or “coupled” to anotherelement, it can be directly connected, directly in communication with ordirectly coupled to the other element or intervening elements may bepresent. In contrast, when an element is herein referred to as being“directly connected”, “directly in communication with” or “directlycoupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present.Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (i.e., “between” versus “directlybetween”, “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent”, etc.).

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the various exampleembodiments described herein may be embodied as a method, system, orcomputer program product. Accordingly, the various example embodimentsmay take the form of, for example, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or, as anotherexample, an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects.Furthermore, the various example embodiments may take the form of acomputer program product on a computer-usable storage medium havingcomputer-usable program code embodied in the medium.

Any suitable computer-usable or computer readable medium may beutilized. The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, forexample but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device,or propagation medium. In the context of this document, acomputer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that cancontain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for useby or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of various exampleembodiments may be written in an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like. However, the computer programcode for carrying out operations of various example embodiments may alsobe written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the“C” programming language or similar programming languages. The actualprogramming language selected is a matter of design choice and, as willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art, any suitable programminglanguage can be utilized.

Various example embodiments are described below with reference toflowchart illustration(s) and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. Those skilled in the art will understand that various blocksof the flowchart illustration(s) and/or block diagrams, and combinationsof blocks in the flowchart illustration(s) and/or block diagrams, can beimplemented by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a suitable form ofprogrammable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such thatthe instructions, which executed via the processor of the programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct the programmable dataprocessing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that theinstructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an articleof manufacture including instructions which implement the function/actspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which shows a pictorial diagram of apremises 200. The premises 200 may include one or more buildings such asfor example, an agricultural building, an office/commercial building, anapartment/residential building, an educational building, a governmentbuilding, an industrial building, a military building, a parkingstructure, a storage building, a religious building, a public transportbuilding, a data center building, a power station/plant, or anycombination of these buildings. Within the premises 200 is a pluralityof access controlled doors 210. Although not necessarily required in thecase of a door opened by a pushing motion, each of the illustratedaccess controlled doors 210 includes a door handle 218. Also, each ofthe illustrated access controlled doors 210 includes an electroniclocking/unlocking mechanism 214 that includes a card reader and/orkeypad lock. In some examples the electronic locking/unlocking mechanism214 and the door handle 218 are integrated together, such as in the caseof an electronic mortise lock which requires a pocket cut into the doorinto which the electronic lock can be fitted. In other examples theelectronic locking/unlocking mechanism 214 may take the form of anelectronic cylindrical lock, which is a lock constructed with a cylinderthat operates by means of an electric current. It still other examples,the electronic locking/unlocking mechanism 214 may be some other type oflock such as, for instance, an electronic exit trim lock.

In accordance with at least some example, the electroniclocking/unlocking mechanism 214 is configured to emit Bluetooth™ LowEnergy (BLE) beacons which are one way (and therefore do not require apaired connection). By design, BLE beacons are meant to be discoverableby any nearby mobile communications devices that are Bluetooth Smart™.This discoverability is via an identifier which is a public signal. Interms of privacy and security, the BLE beacons in accordance withEddystone™ have built in a feature called Ephemeral Identifiers (EIDs)which change frequently, and allow only authorized clients to decodethem.

Still with reference to FIG. 1, there are a plurality of control panels226 within the illustrated premises 200. Each of the control panels 226controls a set of electronic locking/unlocking mechanisms for arespective set of the access controlled doors 210. For example, each ofthe control panels 226 can control proximate electroniclocking/unlocking mechanisms such as for instance, some or all of thoseelectronic locking/unlocking mechanisms on the same floor as therespective control panel.

Also within the illustrated premises 200, there is a security guard room240. In the illustrated example embodiment, the security guard room 240is in the basement of the premises 200; however the security guard room240 need not be subterranean and can be located effectively anywherewithin the premises 200. Within the security guard room 240 is acomputer terminal 250. In some example embodiments, the computerterminal 250 is a personal computer system; however in other exampleembodiments the computer terminal 250 is a laptop computer, a smarttelevision, or some other suitable device. The computer terminal 250communicates with a server system, which may comprise a single physicalmachine or multiple physical machines. The server system may be locatedremotely from the illustrated premises 200. The server system may alsobe located local to the illustrated premises 200. It will be understoodthat the server system need not be contained within a single chassis,nor will it necessarily be the case that there is a single location forthe server system. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art,at least some of the functionality of the server system can beimplemented within the computer terminal 250 rather than within theserver system. Also, at least some of the functionality of the serversystem can be implemented within the cloud. While the server system isnot shown in FIG. 1, a suitable server system 410 in accordance withsome example embodiments will be shown and described later in connectionwith FIG. 3.

The computer terminal 250 communicates with the server system throughone or more networks. These networks can include the Internet and/or oneor more other public/private networks coupled together by networkswitches or other communication elements. The network(s) could be of theform of, for example, client-server networks, peer-to-peer networks,etc. In at least one example embodiment, the computer terminal 250 andthe server system are within the same Local Area Network (LAN). Dataconnections between the computer terminal 250 and the server system canbe any number of known arrangements for accessing a data communicationsnetwork, such as, for example, Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) over awired or wireless connection, Integrated Services Digital Network(ISDN), dedicated lease line service, broadband access (for instance,cable, line-of-sight wireless, etc.), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL),Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay, radio frequency (RF)links, WiFi™, WiMAX™, or other any suitable combination of two or moreof these known arrangements. These known arrangements for accessing adata communications network may apply in a similar manner to thefollowing other data connections between communication-enabled entitiesherein described: between the server system 410 (FIG. 3) and the panels226; between the panels 226 and respective electronic locking/unlockingmechanisms 214; and between the mobile communications device 266 and theserver system 410.

In the illustrated example embodiment, a security guard 260 is shown onpatrol on the third floor of the premises 200. The security guard 260 iscarrying a mobile communications device 266. In some exampleembodiments, the mobile communications device 266 is a smart phone;however in other example embodiments the mobile communications device266 is some other form of handheld device such as, for example, atablet, a phablet, or a wirelessly enabled personal digital assistant(PDA).

FIG. 2 illustrates the mobile communications device 266 that includes ahousing [not illustrated], an input device (a keyboard 324) and anoutput device (a display 326), which may be a full graphic and color,Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). Other types of output devices mayalternatively be utilized. A processing device (a microprocessor 328) isshown schematically in FIG. 2 as coupled between the keyboard 324 andthe display 326. The microprocessor 328 controls the operation of thedisplay 326, as well as the overall operation of the mobile device 266,in part, responsive to actuation of keys on the keyboard 324 by a user.

The housing for the mobile communications device 266 may be elongatedvertically, or may take on other sizes and shapes (including clamshellhousing structures). The keyboard 324 may include a mode selection key,or other hardware or software, for switching between text entry andtelephony entry. In some examples, the keyboard 324 may not be akeyboard with mechanically actuated keys, but may instead be a virtualkeyboard which may be provided as selectable elements on the display 326where the display 326 is touch-screen.

In addition to the microprocessor 328, other parts of the mobilecommunications device 266 are shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2. Theseinclude: a cellular communication subsystem 302; a short-rangecommunications subsystem 304; a set of auxiliary I/O devices 306, aserial port 308, a speaker 310 and a microphone 312; as well as memorydevices including a flash memory 316 and a Random Access Memory (RAM)318; and various other device subsystems 320. The mobile communicationsdevice 266 may be a two-way radio frequency (RF) communication devicehaving voice and data communication capabilities. In addition, themobile communications device 266 may have the capability to communicatewith other computer systems via the Internet.

Operating system software 362 executed by the microprocessor 328 istypically stored in a computer readable medium, such as the flash memory316, but may be stored in other types of memory devices, such as a readonly memory (ROM) or similar storage element. In addition, systemsoftware, specific device applications, or parts thereof, may betemporarily loaded into a volatile store, such as the RAM 318.Communication signals received by the mobile device may also be storedto the RAM 318.

The microprocessor 328, in addition to its operating system functions,enables execution of access control application 364 and otherapplications 366 on the mobile device 266. The access controlapplication 364 will be discussed in more detail subsequently.

Communication functions, including data and voice communications, areperformed through the cellular communication subsystem 302 and throughthe short-range communications subsystem 304. Both the cellularcommunication subsystem 302 and the short-range communications subsystem304 are capable of receiving and transmitting, in respect of theircommunication functions, via one or more antennas. The specific designand implementation of the cellular communication subsystem 302 isdependent upon the communication network in which the mobilecommunications device 266 is intended to operate. For example, thecellular communication subsystem 302 of the mobile communications device266 may be designed to operate with the Mobitex™, DataTAC™ or GeneralPacket Radio Service (GPRS) mobile data communication networks and alsodesigned to operate with any of a variety of voice communicationnetworks, such as Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), Time DivisionMultiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), PersonalCommunications Service (PCS), Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM), etc. Other types of data and voice networks, both separate andintegrated, may also be utilized with the mobile device 266.

The cellular communication subsystem 302 can process a received signal,such as a text message or web page download, for input to themicroprocessor 328. The received signal is then further processed by themicroprocessor 328 for output to the display 326, or alternatively tosome auxiliary I/O devices 306. A device user may also compose dataitems, such as e-mail messages, using the keyboard 324 and/or some otherauxiliary I/O device 306, such as a touchpad, a rocker switch, athumb-wheel, or some other type of input device. The composed data itemsmay then be transmitted over a wireless carrier network via the cellularcommunication subsystem 302.

Overall operation of the mobile communications device 266 in a voicecommunication mode may be substantially similar to operation in the datacommunication mode, except that received signals are output to thespeaker 310, and signals for transmission are generated by themicrophone 312. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as avoice message recording subsystem, may also be implemented on the device266. In addition, the display 326 may also be utilized in voicecommunication mode, for example, to display the identity of a callingparty, the duration of a voice call, or other voice call relatedinformation.

The short-range communications subsystem 304 enables communicationbetween the mobile communications device 266 and other proximate systemsor devices. For example, the illustrated short-range communicationssubsystem 304 includes a Bluetooth™ communication module 350 to providefor communication with similarly-enabled systems and devices. As anotherexample, the illustrated short-range communications subsystem 304 alsoincludes a Wi-Fi™ communication module 350 to provide for communicationwith similarly-enabled systems and devices. As already mentioned, a userof the mobile communications device 266 may compose data items, such ase-mail messages, using the keyboard 324 and/or some other auxiliary I/Odevice 306, such as a touchpad, a rocker switch, a thumb-wheel, or someother type of input device. As an alternative to transmission over awireless carrier network, the composed data items may be transmittedover a wireless local area network via the short-range communicationssubsystem 304. Also, those skilled in the art will appreciate that themobile communications device 266 may obtain Global Positioning System(GPS) information and data through the cellular communication subsystem302, the short-range communications subsystem 304 and/or a separate GPSreceiver.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 3 which illustrates an access controlsystem 400 in accordance with some example embodiments. For convenienceof illustration, not all components of the access control system 400 areshown (for example, the computer terminal 250 shown in FIG. 1 is notshown; however this would be communicatively coupled to the serversystem 410 in any suitable manner, examples of which were previouslynon-exhaustively listed and described as “known arrangements”). Aspreviously mentioned in connection with FIG. 2, the access controlapplication 364 can be run on the mobile communications device 266. Inconnection with the access control application 364, through the use of asuitable communications interface of the mobile communications device266 the access control module 418 on the server system 410 can beaccessed to permit the exchange of data and information (for example,database records) to be retrieved from and stored in data store 415 onthe storage 412 of the server system 410.

Besides the access control module 418, the server system 410 includesseveral software components for carrying out other functions of theserver system 410. For example, the server system 410 includes acredentials management module 419. The credentials management module 419allows for control and management of user privileges within the accesscontrol system 400.

The server system 410 also includes a number of other softwarecomponents 422. These other software components will vary depending onthe requirements of the server system 410 within the overall system. Asjust one example, the other software components 422 might includespecial test and debugging software, or software to facilitate versionupdating of modules within the server system 410.

The server system 410 can communicate with any one or more of thecontrol panels 226 ₁-226 _(n) via a suitable wired communications path,a suitable wireless communications path, or some combination of bothtypes of paths (i.e. the “known arrangements” for accessing a datacommunications network). Each of the panels 226 can in turn communicatewith respective electronic locking/unlocking mechanisms 214 via suitablewired communications paths, suitable wireless communications paths, orsome combination of both types of paths (i.e. the “known arrangements”for accessing a data communications network). In the case of the panel226 communicating with respective electronic locking/unlockingmechanisms 214 via wireless communications paths there may be no wiresin and around the doors and batteries proximate or within respectiveelectronic locking/unlocking mechanisms 214 power these wireless locks.To save power these wireless locks may, after a period of inactivity,enter into a low power mode (for example, a sleep) and stay in this lowpower mode until prompted to exit the low power mode upon receipt ofrecognized digital credentials. In accordance with at least one exampleembodiment, BLE beacons emitted from BLE transmitters 490 in thewireless locks provide information to determine battery health (i.e.whether any batteries in any of the wireless locks are in need ofreplacement). In some examples each of the BLE transmitters 490 can takethe form of a small coin cell device. In some examples where the locksare powered by wires that extend through the door and into the lock, theBLE transmitters 490 can be powered from the same power source thatpowers the locks.

In some respect BLE beacons can be thought of as enabling a searchengine within the physical environment where the BLE beacons arebroadcast. Icons or links corresponding to nearby smart objects can bedisplayed on the beacon-receiving device, and the smart objects can beranked like search results by some combination of proximity, signalstrength, user preferences and browsing history. BLE beacons will bedescribed in more detail in a later part of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example user interface page 500 that can begenerated when the access control application 364 is run on the mobilecommunications device 266. As shown on the user interface page 500,various graphic representations of access controlled doors 510 (doorrepresentations 510) are showing those doors in a normal status; howeverone graphic representation of an access controlled door 520 (doorrepresentation 520) is showing that door in alert status. Alert statusin the illustrated user interface page 500 is shown by a flashingindicator 530; however other indicators are contemplated (such as, forexample, special color(s), a pointer appearing beside the graphicalrepresentation, gyration of the graphical representation, etc.).

Also shown within the example user interface page 500 is a graphicalrepresentation of a security guard 560. In the illustrated example, thegraphical representation of the security guard 560 serves to illustratethe position of the security guard on the third floor of the premises.Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 3, BLE beacons emitted from the BLEtransmitters 490 at locations of each of the doors 210 (in combinationwith any GPS or other location information the mobile communicationsdevice 266 can obtain itself) are used to allow the mobilecommunications device 266 carried by the security guard 260 todetermine: i) that the floor that the security guard 260 is on is thethird floor; and ii) the position of the security guard 260 on the thirdfloor. In particular the GPS location information may by itself beenough to map at least a rough location of the security guard; howeversometimes indoors the GPS functionality of the mobile communicationsdevice 266 does not function properly because of the line of sight issueand also the issue that buildings have a wide variety of physicalbarriers and potential interference sources to inhibit transmission ofGPS signals within the building. Thus, to confirm (or provide a backupfor) the GPS location information, the mobile communications device 266can calculate and determine position information by using the knownpositions of the door locks and deriving the security guard locationfrom Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of BLE beacons usingtechniques understood by those skilled in the art such as, for example,trilateration and weighted averages. Also, it is contemplated thatcombining different sources of sensor data and information to determineaccurate indoor location can extend beyond combining GPS locationinformation and RSSI. In accordance with at least one example embodimentreference information regarding physical characteristics of the premises200 recorded during installation of the access control system areaccessible by the mobile communications device 266 and then data (forexample, wall texture data and RF Parametric data) from sensors in themobile communications device 266 can be used to make locationcalculations the results of which can be combined with locationcalculations made through the other methods and techniques to make aconfirmed determination of the location of the security guard 260. It iscontemplated that some example embodiments will employ other locationdetermination methods as an alternative to or in combination with thosealready described. For example, US Pat. Publ. 2016/0189453 to Johnson etal. discloses another location determination method some details ofwhich are different from what has already been described. Also, in atleast one example embodiment the location of the mobile communicationsdevice 266 may be determined by only making calculations using the BLEbeacons and the known positions of the door locks.

The position of the security guard 260 is thus determined. Once theabove security guard position is determined, it is then provided to theaccess control application 364 to map the corresponding position of thegraphical representation of a security guard 560 on the user interfacepage 500.

Still with reference to the user interface page 500, the device user(i.e. the security guard 260) can, in some examples, tap or click on anyone of the door representations 510 or the door representation 520 and aconfiguration page for the selected door will be loaded for display aslong as that selected door is within Bluetooth™ communications range.Alternatively, door selection can occur in other manners, and onepossible example in this regard would be selection via a separateselection page, such as user interface page 600 which is illustrated inFIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 5, within the example user interface page 600 there isdisplayed a number of selectable door icons 610, 612 and 614 (three inthe illustrated example, noting that icons for other doors on the thirdfloor are not shown because they may not be within Bluetooth™communications range of the mobile communications device 266). The icons610, 612 and 614 are displayed in a list-like manner and the securityguard 260 can tap or click on any one of them to cause the respectiveidentified door to be selected. As mentioned, door icons are displayedfor nearby doors which, in some example embodiments, may be facilitatedby software which processes the BLE beacons of the electroniclocking/unlocking mechanisms 214 that are nearby. One example of thissoftware is the Nearby APIs, which is a set of APIs developed by GoogleInc. Google has also developed Eddystone™ which is an open Bluetooth™4.0 communication protocol. Eddystone™ supports multiple frame types fordifferent use cases. For example, Eddystone-URL is a beacon frame typedesigned to convey compressed URLs. In accordance with at least oneexample embodiment the electronic locking/unlocking mechanisms 214support broadcasting URLs as a part of the BLE beacons in Eddystone™ orsome other suitable format.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flow chartillustrating a method 650 carried out on a mobile communications devicein accordance with some example embodiments. The method 650 isconsistent with example embodiments previously described in relation tothe mobile communications device 266 such as, for example, thosepreviously described in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5.

The illustrated method 650 includes, as a first action, receiving (660)BLE beacons transmitted from different locations on a floor of apremises. For example, two or more previously described electroniclocking/unlocking mechanisms 214 on a same floor of the premises 200 mayinclude respective BLE transmitters 490 that transmit the BLE beaconsreceivable by the mobile communications device 266.

Next the method 650 includes extracting (670) signal properties of theBLE beacons and beacon-identifying information (identified as “1)” and“2)” respectively in the flow chart of FIG. 6). The signal properties ofthe BLE beacons may be, for example, the RSSI of BLE beacons. Thebeacon-identifying information may be, for example, information thatidentifies a particular transmitter amongst the BLE transmitters 490(this in turn identifies, for instance, the originating physicallocation of beacon transmission from amongst a plurality of potentialknown physical locations).

Next the method 650 includes determining (680) the location of themobile communications device based on 1), 2) and the known locations ofthe access controlled doors. As previously discussed, techniques suchas, for example, trilateration and weighted averages may be employed aspart of the location determination.

Finally the method 650 includes outputting (690) the text or graphicsthat informs the device user of the location of the mobilecommunications device relative to the access controlled door. Forexample, within the user interface page 500 of FIG. 4 the graphicalrepresentation of the security guard 560 is meant to convey visualinformation to the security guard (device user) to show him where he isrelative to the access controlled doors. As another example, within theuser interface page 600 of FIG. 5 instead of graphics the text under“DISTANCE” informs the security guard (device user) of how far he isrelative to the access controlled doors.

As mentioned, the security guard 260 can tap or click on any of the dooricons 610, 612 and 614 within the user interface page 600. Now say forinstance that the security guard 260 taps or clicks on the icon 610labelled “DOOR XYZ”. Referring to FIG. 7, a new user interface page 700is generated. The user interface page 700 is a configuration page fordoor XYZ within which there is displayed a number of selectable icons.Icon 710 is for “Obtain Information on Nearby Doors”. By selecting theicon 710 the security guard 260 can obtain information on nearby doorssuch as, for example, similar types of information as discussed belowexcept a door nearby to XYZ instead of the door XYZ itself.

Icon 712 is for “Transaction History”. By selecting the icon 712 thesecurity guard 260 can obtain a history of transactions that occurred inrelation to the door XYZ.

Icon 714 is for “Past Events Generated”. By selecting the icon 714 thesecurity guard 260 can obtain the details of past events generated inrelation to the door XYZ.

Icon 716 is for “Alarms Generated”. By selecting the icon 716 thesecurity guard 260 can obtain the details of past alarms generated inrelation to the door XYZ.

Icon 718 is for “People Granted Access”. By selecting the icon 718 thesecurity guard 260 can obtain the details of the people who were grantedaccess to pass through the door XYZ.

Icon 720 is for “Return to Previous Page”. By selecting the icon 720 thesecurity guard 260 can change the device screen back to the userinterface page 600 (or whatever was the previous user interface pagedisplayed prior to the display of the user interface page 700.

Certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments canbe made. Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are considered to beillustrative and not restrictive, and the invention should be construedas limited only by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An access control system comprising: afirst electronic lock mechanism containing a first transmitter fortransmitting first BLE beacons, the first electronic lock mechanismconfigured to be installed on a first access controlled door within apremises; a second electronic lock mechanism containing a secondtransmitter for transmitting second BLE beacons, the second electroniclock mechanism configured to be installed apart from the firstelectronic lock mechanism on a second access controlled door within thepremises; and a mobile communications device that includes: a Bluetoothcommunication module configured to receive the first and second BLEbeacons; a microprocessor configured to execute instructions todetermine a location of the mobile communications device based at leastin part on signal properties of the first and second BLE beacons,beacon-identifying information contained in the first and second BLEbeacons, and known locations of the first and second access controlleddoors; and a display configured to output text or graphics to inform adevice user of the location of the mobile communications device relativeto at least the first and second access controlled doors.
 2. The accesscontrol system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a thirdtransmitter for transmitting third BLE beacons, and wherein the firsttransmitter, the second transmitter and the third transmitter are alllocated at different locations on a same floor within the premises. 3.The access control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the display isconfigured to output a user interface page which includes a graphicalrepresentation of the device user positioned on the user interface pageso as to illustrate a current position of the device user relative toaccess controlled doors on a same floor as the device user, and the userinterface page also including graphical representations of the accesscontrolled doors.
 4. The access control system as claimed in claim 3wherein when at least one of the first and second access controlleddoors is in an alert status, an indicator is displayed on or proximateto a graphical representation of the one of the first and second accesscontrolled doors.
 5. The access control system as claimed in claim 3wherein when one of the graphical representations of the accesscontrolled doors is tapped on, clicked on or otherwise selected, a newuser interface page is outputted to the display, the new user interfacepage being a configuration page for the selected door.
 6. The accesscontrol system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the display is configuredto output numerical values within a user interface page, the numericalvalues serving to inform the device user of distances to nearby accesscontrolled doors.
 7. The access control system as claimed in claim 1wherein the first and second transmitters are coin cell devices.
 8. Theaccess control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mobilecommunications device is one of a smart phone, a tablet, a phablet and awirelessly enabled personal digital assistant.
 9. A method carried outon a mobile communications device, the method comprising: receiving aplurality of BLE beacons, including first BLE beacons and second BLEbeacons, from at least two transmitters at different locations on a samefloor within a premises, the at least two transmitters including: i) afirst transmitter located at a first access controlled door thattransmits the first BLE beacons; and ii) a second transmitter located ata second access controlled door that transmits the second BLE beacons;determining a location of the mobile communications device based atleast in part on signal properties of the first and second BLE beacons,beacon-identifying information contained in the first and second BLEbeacons, and known locations of the first and second access controlleddoors; and outputting, onto a display of the mobile communicationsdevice, text or graphics that informs a device user of the location ofthe mobile communications device relative to at least the first andsecond access controlled doors.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 9wherein the outputting is graphics within a user interface page whichincludes a graphical representation of a device user positioned on theuser interface page so as to illustrate a current position of the deviceuser relative to access controlled doors on the same floor as the deviceuser, and the user interface page also including graphicalrepresentations of the access controlled doors.
 11. The method asclaimed in claim 10 wherein when at least one of the first and secondaccess controlled doors is in an alert status, an indicator is displayedon or proximate to a graphical representation of the one of the firstand second access controlled doors.
 12. The method as claimed in claim10 wherein when one of the graphical representations of the accesscontrolled doors is tapped on, clicked on or otherwise selected, a newuser interface page is outputted to the display, the new user interfacepage being a configuration page for the selected door.
 13. The method asclaimed in claim 10 wherein the outputting includes numerical valueswithin a user interface page, the numerical values serving to inform thedevice user of distances to nearby access controlled doors.
 14. A mobilecommunications device capable of communicating with at least twotransmitters, the at least two transmitters including: i) a firsttransmitter located at a first access controlled door that transmitsfirst BLE beacons; and a ii) second transmitter located at a secondaccess controlled door that transmits second BLE beacons, and the mobilecommunications device comprising: a Bluetooth communication module thatis configured to receive a plurality of BLE beacons, including the firstBLE beacons and the second BLE beacons, from the at least twotransmitters at different locations on a same floor within a premises; amicroprocessor configured to execute instructions to determine alocation of the mobile communications device based at least in part onsignal properties of the first and second BLE beacons,beacon-identifying information contained in the first and second BLEbeacons, and known locations of the first and second access controlleddoors; and a display configured to output text or graphics to inform adevice user of the location of the mobile communications device relativeto at least the first and second access controlled doors.